Yosemite Forum

Multiple wilderness permit applications

Multiple wilderness permit applications

Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2017 8:11 am

by Justin-T

Does anyone know what happens if you submit essentially the same application on successive days, changing the start day by one each time? In the past its taken 48 hours for me to receive email notification of a successful permit application, so if I want to try for the following day I'll have to FAX it before I know whether the first one is successful. If the wilderness office accepts the first application could they potentially accept the second one as well and charge me the nonrefundable fee for both, or do they realize we don't want overlapping permits for the same trip, and automatically reject the second one?

Re: Multiple wilderness permit applications

Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2017 9:58 am

by AlmostThere

Confirmed reservations cost $5 plus $5 per person (there's no charge for applying if you don't receive a reservation). Do not submit more than one application per request or group each day: this will not increase your chances of winning the lottery. If you (or your group members) apply multiple times for the same request or group, your request will be excluded from the lottery and subject to a non-refundable fee. (You can submit additional applications for other dates as long as you only submit one application per day.)

Re: Multiple wilderness permit applications

Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2017 10:06 am

by Justin-T

Thanks AT, but it still leaves some ambiguity. Its clear to me there's nothing wrong with applying on successive days, for permits that are for different start dates. The issue is whether in practice they could give me the one I applied for yesterday (but I don't know about that until tomorrow), but then charge me again for a permit I don't need if I FAX another request in today, starting one day later...

Re: Multiple wilderness permit applications

Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2017 10:07 am

by AlmostThere

I usually just call and get the permit. It saves a lot of faxing, even though it takes a lot of redialing. That's only if I have a group -- if it's just me and one other on a weekday we go walk in.

Don't think I ever ended up with more than one permit - they lottery, but if you're faxing them all at once and see overlapping days, you are the trip leader and cannot go on four backpacking trips, and do not need permits for successive days -- I suspect the real answer is no, they won't issue you multiple permits for Monday, Tuesday, Etc on the same week.

Re: Multiple wilderness permit applications

Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2017 2:55 pm

by Justin-T

OK, thanks, lets see what happens! I just faxed another application from Aug 3 - Aug 8, after the one I FAXed yesterday for the same trip for Aug 2 - Aug 7...

I'm surprised you've been successful using the phone, given how they claim to process the FAXed requests first. Maybe you are smart and avoiding the popular trailheads, unlike me

Re: Multiple wilderness permit applications

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 9:41 am

by Justin-T

An update, just heard that I got a permit and it was for the itinerary I requested on the second day - no word about the one I submitted the day before (don't they send rejection emails as we all as acceptances?).

Anyway, submitting applications on successive days, for the same route, with start dates moved by one day apparently worked out well for me.

So, now me and the fam are looking forward to a 5-night, figure-8 circuit from TM thru Vogelsang, leaving Rafferty, returning via Lyell in early August. Hopefully the massive snowpack (rain/snow forecast in Yosemite every day for the next 8 days on top of a massive amount already) will have melted and the mosquitoes will be on their way out by then too...

Re: Multiple wilderness permit applications

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 1:59 pm

by idiotwind

I spoke to a ranger yesterday over the phone and he told me if your 2 alternate days are in succession to your first choice and you DON'T get the reservation of your 1st choice, that your 2 alternates get bumped up and there is no need to submit another application.